Monthly Archives: February 2009

Carl Feather of the Star Beacon reports that Ashtabula County Commissioners approved a bid for a new paved bike trail in Geneva State Park. The project is being funded by a Clean Ohio Trail Grant, a community development block grant, and a grant from the Ashtabula County Convention Facilities Authority. An early summer completion date is targeted.

Accoring to a story in the Dayton Daily News, the city has submitted a proposal to become the new home of the U.S. Bicycling Hall of Fame. A group headed by the Ohio Bicycle Federation and Wright-Dunbar Inc. submitted the proposal last month, and passed the first round of review. The plan puts the Hall in an old building that was once the home of the Wright Brothers’ first bicycle store.

The search committee is looking for a space with at least 15,000 square feet of climate-controlled and secure space in a community that can provide support, draw in visitors, and is bicycle-friendly. Dayton is up against the Hall’s current home of Somerville, NJ, as well as Davis, CA and Madison, WI, the number-one and number-two bicycle-friendly cities in the country, according to the League of American Bicyclists rankings.

Ed Begley Jr., the actor most famous for his role as Dr. Victor Ehrlich on the TV series St. Elsewhere, in more recent years has become known as one of Hollywood’s most visible environmental advocates.

Mr. Begley will be in Akron to present his talk Live Simply So That Others Can Simply Live at 1:00pm and 5:00pm at the HBA Akron Home & Flower Show on Sunday, February 28, 2009. The show will be held at the John S. Knight Center in Akron.

An article on ColumbusLocalNews.com reports that the city council of Grove City, Ohio recently approved two appropriations of $38,000 and $31,000 for engineering services that will mean new bike paths in the Windsor Park addition and between the Westgrove development and the Town Center, respectively.

Construction began Monday on an $7.9 million effort to widen and reconstruct a 1.5-mile stretch of Clime Road on the west side of Columbus.

The section of highway, stretching east of Demorest Road to Harrisburg Pike, was closed Monday to traffic, said the Franklin County engineer’s office, which is managing the project.

Crews are working to widen and rebuild the road so they can add a center turning lane, two bicycle lanes, storm sewers, sidewalks and curbs, along with signs and street lighting. The stretch will be closed for about 40 days as a culvert along the path is replaced, the office said.

The project, scheduled for completion next summer, will cost $7.9 million and is funded by Federal Highway Administration and Ohio Public Works Commission dollars.

According to a recent article by Michael Gill in the Cleveland Free Times, the Cleveland City Planning Commission has given approval for funding to be sought for the development of a new 2.5-mile bike trail. The trail will link the city’s Detroit Shoreway neighborhood to the west with the Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath Trail. The project is expected to be completed in three to five years.

The city of Cleveland is planning to build a Bikestation, which would include bike storage, lockers, changing rooms, showers, and bicycle repair facilities. The Bikestation will be located at in currently unused space in a parking garage on East 4th Street, near the Quicken Loans Arena. No timetable for the opening of the facility is available yet, as the project is in the stages of gathering information, cost estimates, and potential funding. More information can be found on the Cleveland City Planning Commission web site.

According to this article from the Lancaster Eagle-Gazette, a man was arrested while cycling yesterday in Cincinnati, on charges of operating a vehicle under the influence (plus resisting arrest; never hurts to throw that one in for good measure). I think this is a good thing, especially if he was riding in an unsafe manner, as the article suggests.

Many anti-cycling people complain that traffic laws are not enforced for cyclists. Bike advocates are also generally in favor of strict enforcement, as this elevates the standing of bikes as legitimate vehicles on the roads.

Some states have considered exempting cyclists from DUI enforcement. This may be a good thing, as a drunk bicyclist is probably safer for the general public compared to a drunk car driver. But, from a bike advocate standpoint, this has the negative effect of diminishing cyclists’ role as vehicles having full rights and responsibilities on the streets.